Robot-Assisted Lung Surgery a First for Region

In February 2013, Dr. Kyril Choumarov became the first physician in the Capital Region to perform a lung lobectomy using the daVinci Robot at Ellis Hospital.

Compared to a traditional open surgery, a robot-assisted lobectomy is minimally invasive and helps patients return to their normal activities quicker.

“Using the daVinci Robot for lobectomies yields benefits for patients needing lung surgery, such as less pain, smaller incisions and quicker recovery time,” said Dr. Choumarov.

A lobectomy is a surgical removal of a lobe of a lung. Lungs are divided into sections called lobes. Each person has two lobes on the left lung, and three lobes on the right lung. Lobectomies are performed to remove one of these lungs to treat lung cancer or abnormal tissue on the lung. Upon removal of the lobe, the lung continues to function normally. Robotic-assisted surgery greatly enhances ability to harvest lymph nodes and safely dissect major thoracic structures during lung lobectomies.

The improved visibility, manipulation and fine dissection of the daVinci Robot allow surgeons to perform extremely complex procedures with minimal trauma to the patient. “Ellis is quickly expanding the use of robotic-assisted surgery,” said Nicholas Montalto, Jr., M.D., medical director of Robotic Surgery at Ellis Medicine. “We are always looking for ways to use the most advanced technology to improve our patients’ experience.”

The daVinci Surgical System uses 3D high definition vision, wristed instrumentation and precise movement to offer the following better outcomes: